Simone Biles Performs Historic Vault at First International Competition Since Tokyo Olympics
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Simone Biles just made history at her first international competition since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (where she withdrew from several events after experiencing “the twisties”).
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Over the weekend, the 26-year-old gymnast competed at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium. During the women’s all-around qualification, Biles became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault at an international competition. As a result, the skill has been renamed the “Biles II.” (NBD.)
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After the all-around qualification, Biles was in first place with a score of 58.865. (The next phase of competition will take place later this week.) Based on her performance, many believe that Biles will qualify for all four individual events, including balance beam, vault, uneven bars and floor, in addition to the all-around.
Last week, the athlete celebrated her arrival in Belgium by posting a slideshow on Instagram. “Touch down in Belgium [Belgium flag emoji] [yellow heart emoji],” she wrote in the caption. “Ready to do some cartwheels or something.”
Her husband, Jonathan Owens, showed his support in the comments section, where he wrote, “I can’t wait to watch you back out there [heart-eye emoji].”
Biles has been preparing for the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships for quite some time. She previously competed at the Core Hydration U.S. Classic, but this marked her official return to the world stage.
Next up: 2024 Paris Olympics.
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